Kash Patel, Trump Media Board Member and QAnon Conspiracy Theorist, Confirmed as FBI Director
Kash Patel has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as director of the FBI on Thursday in a vote of 51-49. The vote to substantiate Patel was principally alongside occasion traces, with all Democrats voting towards it and Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine additionally voting no.
Patel is a member of the board of Trump Media, the corporate that owns Donald Trump’s Fact Social, and lately acquired roughly $780,000 price of inventory within the firm, in accordance with regulatory filings reviewed by CNBC. The brand new FBI director can also be a far-right extremist who has unfold numerous conspiracy theories associated to QAnon and threatened to jail journalists.
Patel beforehand referred to those that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as “political prisoners,” and was questioned throughout a affirmation listening to about his connections to one thing known as the Jan 6 Jail Choir. President Trump granted full pardons to the individuals who violently stormed the Capitol.
Patel appears to imagine within the QAnon conspiracy principle, a worldview that asserts the U.S. authorities and Hollywood are run by a cabal of pedophiles who carry out youngster abuse rituals and drink the blood of youngsters for one thing known as adrenochrome. And whereas sexual abuse is rampant in American society, adherents to the conspiracy principle imagine all of this with a really ridiculous twist: That Donald Trump goes to save lots of America’s youngsters from these pedophiles.
QAnon was began after somebody who claimed to be a authorities insider began posting on 4chan in late 2017 beneath the identify Q, a reference to a high-level “Q” safety clearance. Some posts have been imprecise in the best way that supposed psychics phrase issues to persuade purchasers they’ll inform the longer term. Different posts have been extra particular however may nonetheless be interpreted in a number of methods, as any holy textual content can.
Patel has denied selling QAnon conspiracy theories, however his exercise on social media tells a special story. Certainly one of Patel’s first posts on Fact Social after the platform launched in early 2022 was, “Having a beer with @q proper now,” in accordance with Wired.
Patel has promised to go after Trump’s political enemies, together with folks like Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California. Billionaire Elon Musk tweeted approvingly of Patel’s assaults on Schiff Thursday, tweeting “Adam Schiff is a felony.” Musk leads DOGE, the group that’s at present dismantling the U.S. authorities in an oligarchic coup.
Adam Schiff is a felony https://t.co/f2tbVUcsXg
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2025
Patel has additionally mentioned he’ll go after journalists, although it’s not clear what steps he’ll take within the days and weeks forward to try this. Talking with Steve Bannon in late 2023, Patel insisted that folks have been mendacity concerning the assault on the U.S. Capitol.
“We are going to exit and discover the conspirators, not simply in authorities however within the media,” Patel instructed Bannon, in accordance with Media Issues for America. “Sure, we’re going to come back after the folks within the media who lied about Americans, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.”
Patel wasn’t certain if he’d discover a solution to pursue civil or felony penalties towards members of the media.
“We’re going to come back after you, whether or not it’s felony or civilly, we’ll determine that out,” Patel continued. “However yeah, we’re placing you all on discover and Steve, that is why they hate us. This is the reason we’re tyrannical. This is the reason we’re dictators as a result of we’re really going to make use of the Structure to prosecute them for crimes they mentioned we now have all the time been responsible of however by no means have.”
It’s a brand new period of American fascism and Patel’s affirmation as FBI Director appears like a beginning gun. Keep protected on the market, of us.
